Blue Moon
by crazynut2
Summary: Edward is gone. Trying to keep whatever piece of him she can, Bella goes to their special place, but finds trouble waiting for her. Can she survive in a world without Edward? Will he ever come back? Rated M for violence & language. Vampward/Jacobwolf
1. Chapter 1

Four Months.

That's how long it's been since _he_ left. With the days all coming together as they had been, I'm surprised I can still keep track…

For a long time, _he_ was all that occupied my mind. I guess I am a little naïve. Obviously, _his_ leaving should have made something click in my mind that _he_ was really gone and not coming back. _He_ made it clear that I was of no interest to _him_. I was no good for _him_ and _he_ didn't want me. Any normal person would forget it and move on. But I just can't forget about _him_. No matter how much it hurts.

I did have some distractions, though. Jacob Black had been a constant friend in my time of grief. Even though nothing could fill the aching hole in my chest, when I was with Jake, it didn't seem to hurt as much. I'd find myself looking forward to the time we'd spend together. Even though I don't smile quite as much anymore, I feel like some kind of weight has been lifted when Jake is around. I wish that he was with me right now.

We were supposed to be doing this together. It may seem weird, wanting to bring Jake to the place that is so sacred to _him_, but I just didn't think that I could handle it on my own. Plus, Jake was much better at the whole navigation thing than I was. I didn't really know how to read this compass and was trying to remember how to get there based mainly on my brief memory of it. I remember the long walk. I remember wishing we would get there already. I remember thinking that it had better be worth the crazy amount of time and energy we were spending on it. I remember it being the most remarkable thing I had ever seen. It contained one of most vivid memories of us...of _him_. It was there that _he_ first showed himself to me. The first time _he_ let me in completely. The first time I let _him_ in completely. All of our cards were on the table and we were ready to let the chips fall where they may. It was difficult to think back on these memories, but it was the only way I could hang onto _him_, and even though _he_ didn't need me, I still couldn't let him go.

It was getting late and I quickly regretted not waiting for a time when Jake could go, but I've been getting the impression that he was avoiding me. It all started that night at the movie theatre when both he and Mike had gotten suddenly sick. I tried calling him that night to see if he got home okay, and Billy seemed to be sincere when he said it was probably just the flu, but something seemed wrong. I got even more suspicious when I spoke with Jake the next day…

"Hey, Bella. Sorry about rushing home after the movie last night. It must have been something I ate," he rambled quickly.

"It's okay Jake. I just wanted to make sure you were really okay. Can I bring you anything?" I asked.

"No! I mean, no don't worry about it. I'm fine. Don't come over here. It's not safe" he whispered.

"Not safe? Jake what are you.."

"I just mean, I don't want you to catch the, uh, bug, er, whatever I have. I have to go. I'll talk to you later Bella" he said quickly, cutting me off.

"But Jake, I.." I started, but he had already hung up.

It was then that I realized something weird was going on. Charlie claimed that something strange was going on with the phone lines when I had complained to him that I couldn't get anyone to talk to me. Whenever I did get Billy on the phone, he would just say that Jacob was busy or unavailable or something simple like that. I knew Jacob, though. I knew he wouldn't just ignore me unless there was a good reason why. Billy was hiding something, I just couldn't figure out what it was.

It was my call today that sharpened my resolve to just go on this trek by myself. Billy answered today, a little more chipper than usual.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Billy. It's Bella. Is Jacob feeling any better?"

"Oh, Bella. You just missed him. He's out and about now. Apparently, it wasn't the flu. Guess it was just one of those quick bugs."

"Well, does that mean I can come over and see him now?" I asked him impatiently. He could probably sense the vague hostility coming from my voice, but I was annoyed with his incessant avoidances.

"Ooh, Bella I'm sorry" he mumbled. "He just left with some friends."

Unbelievable. I was almost livid. Jacob had to know how worried I was about him. All of the constant calling and nagging had to have been evidence enough that I feared for his health. He was all better now and didn't even bother to call me and let me know. It made me angry at first, but then all I felt was hurt. While I was home being bored and lonely and missing his company, the time apart obviously did not provoke the same feelings on him. Maybe the time we had spent together these past few weeks was only ignited from the pity he felt towards me. Maybe he just felt bad for the girl he used to be friendly with a long time ago when she would visit with her father. Maybe we weren't getting as close as I thought we were. Whatever the reason, I knew I would have to talk to Jacob sooner or later just so I could understand. Even if he was only hanging out with me out of pity, he still owed me some kind of explanation.

The snap of a twig behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. I quickly stopped and turned around, trying to find the source of the noise, but not seeing anything.

"Stupid squirrels," I muttered.

I guess I should've realized that walking this deep into the woods by myself was risky. I knew what kinds of things lurked around out here. _He_ had warned me countless times. At this point, though, I didn't really care. I knew I would get there soon anyway.

Thinking over the past few days, I continued walking through the woods looking for my final destination. I could tell by the location of the sun in the sky that I only had a few hours left before the sun would start setting. As cloudy as my memory was of how to get there, I knew I had to be close. As I walked past of few broken down trees, I finally saw the faint outline of an open area a few yards ahead. That had to be it. Excited, I started running to the final trees before stopping dead in my tracks upon reaching the opening.

It had changed. It wasn't the same beautiful meadow it had been when I was first here. All of the beautiful pinks and blues and purples of the flowers were now white and brown from the weeds that had replaced them. The grass was no longer green, but a dark brown with no trace of life. This was not was I was hoping for. I needed to see the beautiful colors. I needed to be reassured that it wasn't just a dream. I needed to know that it was real. That _he_ was real. This is not how it's supposed to be. I laughed at myself, thinking of the irony in this picture. I always did think of _him_ as a life source. _He_ brought me to life when I first arrived in Forks. It only makes sense that _he_ would have an effect on the life of the meadow, too.

I was about to turn and leave, feeling extremely disappointed, when all of a sudden I felt as if I were being watched. I looked around and didn't see anything. I thought back to the sound of that tree branch. Was someone following me? All of a sudden, I felt strangely anxious to get out of these woods, even though I knew it would take at least an hour to find the trail where my truck was. As I was getting ready to turn out of the meadow, I heard a faint gasp a few feet away from me and turned quickly to the sound.

"Bella?"

"Laurent!"

"My, my Bella. I was not expecting to see you here." I grinned as my anxiety went down a little as I saw his familiar face. For all of the creatures that could be out in the woods, at least I knew this one.

"You scared me, Laurent. I thought something was following me."

"My apologies, Bella. I assure you, I had no idea you were here. This unexpected meeting does raise some problems, though my dear," he said, strangely.

"Problems?" I asked.

"Well, I'm afraid that my business here in Forks is no coincidence," he began. "I am here as a favor" he stated. "To Victoria."

"Vic…Victoria?" I mumbled. The anxiety that was beginning to melt away, was quickly returning. Obviously it didn't matter if I knew this creature or not, he was still a threat to me.

"Oh dear. Your blood is very overwhelming. You have somewhat interrupted my hunting. I can see what great lengths your Edward had to go through to stop from killing you" he stated blatantly. The sound of _his_ name shot daggers through my heart. While _he_ was constantly on my mind, I tried not to think or say _his_ name. It always seemed to make _his_ absence even more real than I already felt it. The mention of _his_ name also worried me. Laurent had to have noticed that _he_ was not with me.

"But where is Edward? I stopped by the Cullen's house, but found no one there. Surely they have not left you here alone."

I didn't know what to say. I was trapped. If he knew that they were gone, he would have no problem killing me. I had to think of something.

"They have left on a short trip, but will be back anytime now. They never leave for long periods of time, and they always check in," I lied, hoping he couldn't make out the quivering in my voice.

"Really?" he asked, confused. "But, I took the liberty of going inside their home and it seemed as though it has been empty for quite a while," he stated, walking closer to me.

It was clear he didn't believe me, so I decided to change strategies. "When they hear about this, they will come after you," I threatened, hoping to scare him enough to leave me alone.

"I do not think they will," he said slyly. "I do not think that they have any intention of coming back, my dear Bella. I do not even think they will know you are gone. Even if they do, how would they know it was me?"

To this question, I had no response. He was right. Even if they did come back, there were plenty of ways this could have happened. _He_ warned we before that there were dangerous things in the woods. _He_ no longer needed me. I'm sure _he_ wouldn't go after Laurent. These thoughts weakened my defense and I began to ramble. "Why would you hurt me? You helped us with James. You weren't like him or Vic..Vic.." I started, not being able to control my breathing.

He quickly shortened the distance between us. "Calm down, Bella. I will be nice, I promise. As I said before, I came here as a favor to Victoria. You must know how upset she is for Edward killing James. I did feel some guilt for helping you and the Cullens in defeating him and felt I owed her. She asked me to come and see if they were still protecting you. I promise you Bella, I had no intention of harming you…"

"H-Had?" I mumbled.

"Well, as I said. You interrupted my hunting trip. And I am so very thirsty."

I felt his breathing slow and could see in his eyes that he was ready to attack. I recognized the movements to be much like James' in the ballet studio. At that moment, all I could think of was _him_. Even if _he_ no longer wanted me, I know _he_ wouldn't have wanted me to just give up. With that resolve, I ran. I knew it would not solve anything, since Laurent's speed was unmatchable by a human, but I had to try. I could hear him grunt behind me as I started to run to the other side of the meadow. As I was halfway through, I felt his hand grab my arm and throw me back to where I was originally standing, my back hitting a tree. I slid down and saw him walking slowly towards me and then crouching, getting ready to attack. I shot up quickly and moved to the left as he lunged, barely missing his snarling teeth as he hit the tree instead of me, effectively knocking it down. I thought I heard the rustling of footsteps running in the forest toward us, but quickly resolved that it had to be a forest animal running away, terrified from the growling of Laurent.

He got up from the now fallen tree as I slowly slid backwards, trying to regain the feeling in my legs to try and run again. I found my footing and stood up, just as he grabbed me again by my neck, forcing me against a firm oak. With such force, I thought that my neck had to have broken, but I could still feel my body trembling.

"I can see what attracted James to you. He loved a challenge. But I'm afraid, my dear, that I do not have time for this." He said.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the rage in his. I could hear the same faint rustling sound of running through the woods, but had my attention quickly turned from that when I felt a sudden pain in my forearm.

"AHHHH!" I screamed as the pain shot through my arm to every nerve in my body. That faint rustling was growing louder now and I felt Laurent drop me down after a moment. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see what was about to happen to me next. The rustling stopped and I could hear loud breathing that did not belong to Laurent. He chuckled.

"Well, Well" he said. "What have we here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys. Thanks for checking out my story and I hope you like the second chapter.

I forgot last time to add my disclaimer! [thanks miki natsuko!] Of course, I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I only own the idea for this story :)

* * *

JPOV

"Sam! This is fucking ridiculous! You are being completely unfair!" I yelled from across the room. I didn't want to have this confrontation in front of the pack, but I was tired of holding everything in.

"Jacob, you cannot possibly understand how detrimental it could be to our pack, _your brothers_, if she finds out about us," Sam argued. "You don't know how strong her tie is to others like the Cullen's. Granted we did not have much reason to fear them because of the treaty, but there are others out there. You cannot be naïve enough to think that she—"

"STOP!," I yelled, before he could finish. "You don't even know her! She isn't like that. She wouldn't tell anyone. I _know_ we can trust her!"

Sam turned to the other members of the pack, giving each of them wary glances. I was getting the feeling that they had already had this discussion without me and my input was not needed. They had already made up their minds. Sam took one final look around the pack and stopped, meeting the eyes of Paul who gave him a quick nod.

That can't be good.

"Jacob," Sam started. "I do not like doing this, but you are forcing my hand. I _order_ you not to speak to Bella about what we are. You know I don't like forcing the alpha command, but we have all talked about this."

"We?" I asked angrily.

"The pack and I. We fear your feelings for Bella have clouded your views on what is right and wrong for the pack," he clarified.

I was trying my hardest to stay calm. They just didn't understand. Bella couldn't betray anyone. I knew Sam thought he was doing what was the best for the pack, but it was getting harder everyday trying to stay away from Bella. I missed her. She was my best friend, and even though Sam never said I couldn't see her, it would be too hard to be around her and lie about what I really was. I wouldn't blame her for being scared, or even mortified. I knew I was a monster. I knew it shouldn't be like this. Our kind shouldn't have to exist. Our kind _wouldn't_ exist if it weren't for those damn bloodsuckers. If she could protect the secret of those bastards, I don't see why she couldn't protect ours. Just the thought of those vile creatures was making my blood boil. I didn't even realize that the guys had continued talking.

"—don't understand what's so great about her anyway," I heard Paul saying. "The chick hangs around with vampires. How smart can she be?"

It only took about 2 seconds to forget what I was thinking about and walk over to wrap my hands around Paul's neck, pushing him out of his chair and onto the floor. I could hear all of the guys getting up and hovering around us, trying to get me off of Paul, but I wasn't moving. Embry tried clawing my hands away from Paul's neck, but fell backwards into the wall when I bashed my head into his stomach.

"Don't you EVER talk about her that way! You don't have any fucking RIGHT to say ANYTHING about her!" I yelled, feeling nothing but the rage pulsating through my veins. I knew I needed to calm down. I could phase any minute which would be difficult considering we were in Emily's kitchen and I wasn't in any position to buy her new furniture and flooring.

I finally let Sam pull me up and sit me in the kitchen chair, leaving Paul breathless and panting on the floor. "Fuck you, Black. Don't get your panties in such a twist," he sneered. "You can't fault me for thinking that someone isn't in their right mind for wanting to hang around those fucking bloodsuckers."

With that, he had a point. I never really understood Bella's fascination with those _fiends_, but I wasn't about to judge her for it.

"Whatever, I'm out of here," I said quickly, turning to leave. "Don't worry Sam. I'll follow your command, but it's out of my hands if she happens to figure it out herself. Contrary to what _some of you_ think," I motioned to Paul, "she's not stupid."

I walked out of the house and headed toward Bella's. I knew she was probably upset with me and may not even want to see me, but I had to talk to her. I knew she had been calling. Almost every time she talked with Dad, I was right beside the phone, desperately wishing I could take it from him and just speak to her. But I knew she would ask questions and that I wouldn't be able to answer them. I knew that her need for answers was still there, but I wasn't worried about that right now. I just had to see her.

Once I reached her house, I noticed that both Charlie's cruiser and Bella's truck were gone. I figured Charlie must be fishing with Harry Clearwater, but couldn't figure out where Bella would be. Aside from me, Bella didn't really hang out with anybody. She stopped talking with her friends from school after all of that damn bloodsucker drama and didn't know anyone else. I wouldn't normally worry about her, but Bella tends to get herself into trouble when she's left alone. I'm still grateful that Sam found her and not something else after she had been wandering in the woods when those bloodsu—

Wait. The woods. I began to remember when Bella and I went hiking before I turned all 'teen wolf.' She was looking for some flowery field or something she had been to before, but we couldn't find it before nightfall. Had she gone back there by herself? How could she be so thoughtless? I started trying to remember where it was and had a vague recollection of where to go from the end of the trail we took. Without another thought, I started running as fast as I could for that trail. I had to admit, although there were some drawbacks in wolf life, I did enjoy the ease of running, and running fast, without tiring. I knew if I phased I could get to her much faster, but I didn't want the rest of the pack to know where I was or what I was doing, so I settled for my human speed. Within five minutes I was on the trail and after another two, I saw Bella's truck. I knew it would be a little difficult remembering the direction without a compass, but I had a general idea, and would also be able to pick up her scent within a few miles.

Unsure as to why, I suddenly got an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although we hadn't spoken to each other in weeks, I had every intention of scolding her for going out in the woods by herself. I finally reached the area we had made it to on our previous trip and stopped to see if I could pick up her scent yet. I knew I still must have been at least a mile from her, because I couldn't find a clearing in sight. I quickly looked around and stuck my nose in the air, sniffing deeply to try and find her. Normally, I would be a little embarrassed by such a dog-like action, but all I could think about was finding Bella. Not being able to smell anything, I figured I went in the wrong direction and began to turn around when a large gust of wind began to encircle me, bringing with it a very familiar scent.

Bella.

Thank God she was here and I was close. I began to walk toward where the wind had picked up the scent when I suddenly smelled another familiar scent with it that was not so welcoming.

A fucking bloodsucker.

Without a blink, I sprinted in the direction of the conjoined scents in hopes that I wasn't too late. I could start to hear some talking and knew I was getting close.

"—can see what attracted James to you. He loved a challenge. But I'm afraid, my dear, that I do not have time for this," I heard the unnamed beast say. With that, I heard a blood-curdling scream come out of Bella and finally reached the edge of the clearing. The bloodsucker heard my approach and turned, chuckling as his eyes reached mine.

"Well, Well" he said. "What have we here?"

I was beyond the point of no return. My rage was unfaltering and growing stronger with every scream that escaped Bella's mouth. "Let..her..go..now," I said, pausing between each word as to make sure that fucking leech understood.

"And who are you then to think you can challenge me?" he asked, condescendingly. "Do you know what I am, boy?"

"I know exactly what you are, you filthy leech," I spat. "But don't worry, you won't be that for much longer."

With that, he began to slowly walk away from Bella and begin to bend into a defensive crouch. Another gust of wind came by twirling our scents in the air, causing him to rise out of his crouch instantly and give me a quizzical look. "What are you?"

I looked at him with a smirk. "You're about to find out."

Most of the guys in the pack were still trying to learn how to phase on the fly. It's easiest to phase when provoked or angry because it happens with a total loss of control. I have never had that problem, and found no difficulty in phasing at that exact moment, while that damn bloodsucker looked at me in pure shock.

"It can't be," he exclaimed defiantly. _Believe it_, I thought. I growled as one last warning to get away from Bella, who I hadn't considered in the equation when I phased. Whether or not she had seen me was of no importance right then. Killing this parasite was the only thing that mattered.

When he didn't immediately move away from her, I pounced in his direction and clawed at his chest. He quickly bolted to the other side of the clearing, barely missing my attack. He sprinted toward me as I landed, grabbing my arm and twisting it with a sickening crunch. I roared in pain and kicked him away and into a tree, pulling it up from the roots almost completely. I knew I needed to finish him quickly so my arm did not try to heal itself while I was still in my wolf form. He charged me again, this time on my other side, in an attempt to break my other arm. I turned around as he threw his arm out to break mine, grabbing it between my teeth to disconnect it from his body. Just as I imagine a twig snapping off a tree, his arm gave way to my force and detached from his body, sending him flying into the center of the field while his arm was claimed by me. He screamed in protest and jumped at me in hopes of retrieving his arm. I jumped and met him in the air, causing both of our bodies to collide with a thunderous bang. As we fell to the ground, he grabbed my injured arm, causing my distraction by the pain in an effort to get his severed arm. Sensing that he could not beat me alone, he grabbed it and ran off into the woods. I began to follow him briefly, only to hear Bella's continuous screams of agony. I stopped, sensing it was hopeless to follow him and headed back to Bella.

I phased back into my human form, not really caring that the sudden phase had destroyed my clothes. Bella's health and safety was more important than my sense of comfort. When I finally reached her and saw her lying on the ground, I tried my hardest to hold back my anger so that I did not phase back. I had never heard someone scream with such intense anguish as Bella was at that moment. As I looked her over, I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"Bella? Bella? Can you hear me? What is it Bella? What hurts? Can you please answer me?"

She didn't answer me. She didn't even acknowledge that I was there. She only screamed. I decided to try and look her over myself. She didn't seem to have any broken bones, there were no lacerations on her head, the only thing I could see was a little blood on her—oh no. I brought her arm to my face so that I could take a closer look at what I thought was just a cut. Son of a bitch.

He bit her.

That mother fucking leech bit her.

And I had no idea what to do. I knew what would happen if I didn't do something. The Quileute legends have all explained how a bloodsucker is turned. But I couldn't let that happen to Bella. She couldn't be one of _them_. Without thinking twice, I immediately picked her up and started running as fast as I could through the woods, heading toward La Push. I knew Sam would not be happy about this, but I was not breaking any of the pack rules. She was in such pain right then that I didn't think she had any idea what just happened between me and the leech. I didn't even think she knew that I was carrying her.

When I finally reached Emily's house, I didn't waste any time with explanations. They all must have heard Bella's screams as we were approaching because everyone was waiting outside for us. As I walked up the steps to go inside Sam stopped in front of me blocking my way to the front door.

"Jacob, what the hell is going on? Tell me what happened right now." he ordered.

I moved him to the side as I tried quickly to explain through Bella's screams. "Long story short, I found Bella in the woods with one of the bloodsuckers. He had attacked her so I attacked him. He got away, but not before biting her," I said in disgust. Everyone in the room gasped.

"Was it a Cullen?" asked Sam, concerned.

"No," I responded. "It was just a nomad I think. But that doesn't matter right now. Sam she's been bitten!"

"Well, why the fuck did you bring her here?" screamed Paul. "She's going to turn into one of those monsters now!"

I turned to face Paul, a look of pure hatred on his face. "We have to help her!" I yelled.

"No. We have to kill her," he responded quickly.

"You will nev—"

"Stop!" Sam interrupted, walking between the two of us. "This is not the time or place. Jacob, I know she is your friend, but I don't know if there is much we can do for her. I'm sorry."

"No!" I roared. "There has to be something!" I looked around at the rest of the pack in hopes that they might have any kind of advice on what to do. "Embry? Quil? Please," I pleaded, desperately. "Help me."

I could sense that I was on the verge of tears, which would normally embarrass the shit out of me, but right now I didn't care. I would cry a thousand tears if it would save Bella. I would beg and plead on my knees forever. I couldn't just sit here and watch her become one of the most despicable creatures in existence. Not my Bella. She was too good and pure to ever be something so vile and disgusting.

"Um..could we take her to the hospital or something?" asked Quil.

"Yea, Quil, because hospitals stock their shelves with vampire anti-venom," Paul mocked. "Good one, dumbass."

"Shut up, Paul. I don't see you coming up with anything," Quil replied.

"Okay," Paul started. "Here's an idea for you. Why don't we just cut off her arm? Stop the venom from flowing out of it. Think that could work? Yea. I like that idea," he said as he walked toward us.

He was suddenly stopped by a shove from one of the brothers. "Damn it Paul! This isn't a joke!" Embry yelled, shockingly. I was surprised he took this as seriously as I did. "Jake is right. Bella's a good person and she doesn't deserve this. There has to be something _logical_ that we can do!"

For a brief second everyone tried to think over Bella's screams. I couldn't stand listening to it. It tore me up too much inside. I didn't know how much time we had before the transformation began. I knew it couldn't be too much longer before we were going to be too late. I was beginning to lose hope when I heard a soft, gentle voice speak up.

"I have an idea that might work."

Everyone turned to see Emily standing up and walking towards Bella with a bowl, towel and olive oil in her hands. I didn't really know what she was going to do with those things, but I figured anything was better than nothing.

"When I was about 11 or 12 years old, my mom took me and Leah to a park that was close to our home," she started, kneeling down towards Bella and placing the bowl down beside her. "It was surrounded by woods and I wanted to go and see if there were any deer because at the time, I was fascinated with them. As I was walking through the woods, I came across and western rattlesnake and, thinking I was attacking it, it bit me. Leah heard me scream and got my mother who knew of a way of extracting the venom."

She stopped her story and poured the olive oil in her mouth, swishing it around and then swallowing it down.

"Emily, what are you doing?" asked Sam, hesitantly.

"I'm going to suck out the poison," she said nonchalantly, taking in flabbergasted looks from everyone, including me. "I would let someone else volunteer, but you know as well as I do that vampire venom is extremely deadly to wolves."

"Emily, there has to be something else we can—"

"No. There's no time. It has to be done," she said quickly, looking at me as she spoke. My eyes grew wide and I knew at that moment that she was doing this for me. Words could not express the gratefulness I felt for her at that moment. I just hoped it worked.

She coated her mouth one more time with the olive oil, looked at Bella and whispered something to herself that seemed like a short prayer. With that, she brought her mouth to Bella's cut and began sucking it in a sickening way. I knew that what Emily was doing was probably saving Bella's life, but I could not help the disgust I felt watching her. It was as though she switched teams, trading up for the bloodsuckers and following suit. I tried to stop my mind from thinking those thoughts. She was only trying to help Bella. She was trying to help me. My stomach was too weak for the sight, though, and I had to turn away.

I could hear Emily spitting out the bloody mess that she was taking from Bella, and my heightened senses could pick up the metallic smell of her blood. I also noted that there was another scent in there too. There was a vague, but still potent sickly sweet substance mixed in with her blood. Was it working? Was the venom coming out? She began coating her mouth with the olive oil more heavily now. I took Emily's sudden groans and silent gags as a sign that she was bringing up more than blood. As sick as that made me feel, I couldn't help but also feel a sense of joy. Maybe Bella could be okay after all. After a few minutes of Emily's work, Bella's screams began to die down, until they were completely silenced. Emily spit out the last of the bloody mess, wiped her mouth out with the towel and left the room with Sam behind her.

I looked at Bella who seemed to be in a daze due to her sudden loss of blood.

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital _now_?" Quil asked hesitantly, not wanting to be made fun of again.

"I think that's a good idea, Quil," I said, giving him a small smirk. "I'll take her right now," I said, picking up Bella and heading for the door.

"Uh..Jake?"

"Yea?"

"Maybe you'd like to put some clothes on first?" Quil said, trying not laugh. I had been so preoccupied with Bella that I had completely forgotten I was still in the buff.

"Shit. Uh, maybe that's a good idea," I said, quickly leaving the room. Everyone else started laughing immediately, but I didn't care. Bella was going to be okay.

* * *

Let me know what you think! Thanks :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys. I'm so sorry for taking such an incredibly long time to update. I have had a lot of personal issues going on that have kept me from writing. I PROMISE that I will never go that long without posting again and will try to keep it to _**at least **_once a week! (As long as no other craziness comes up in my life!) :)

For those of you who are still with me, thanks for hanging in there! I really appreciate it. I think you'll really like where this story is headed.

I did have one comment on how this isn't really a BxE story. The way I look at it is, even when reading the books and Edward being gone in New Moon, I never considered him out of the picture and always thought of it as a BxE story. That being said, this is not going to be like New Moon..at all. And Edward will return..at some point in the _near _future.

Anyway, enough of my rambling..on to the story. Let me know what you think!! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight _or _New Moon_, any of its characters or themes. They all belong to S Meyer. I just changed it up a bit :)

* * *

BPOV

His red eyes were staring hungrily at me as he lunged and attacked. Once his stony figure collided with mine, the only thing I could register was the burning pain in my forearm. I had forgotten all about the rustling in the woods and could think only of the excruciating fire that had suddenly started blistering through my skin. I tried to put out the flames on my skin with my other hand, only to realize that there was nothing there. Through the pain of the fire, I felt Laurent lift his weight off of me, having been distracted by something that had crossed our paths. I tried to open my eyes to see the source of the distraction, but was blinded with pain. I was grateful to the intruder for stopping Laurent, but knew it would only be short-lived, as Laurent was sure to kill whoever it was within a matter of seconds.

The sounds of vague conversation that I could catch through the pain confused me. Who could Laurent be talking to? Oh, no. Had Victoria come to meet him and finish what he had started? I tried to get up and get away, but couldn't feel my body. All I could feel was the fire. I tried to focus on the conversation to take my mind off of the pain. It sounded like a male voice. A familiar male voice.

"…you filthy leech. But don't worry, you won't be that much longer." It couldn't be. It sounded like…

Jake?

No it couldn't be. How would he have gotten here? My thoughts were halted when all of a sudden I was surrounded by the sounds of a murderous growl.

I awoke with a gasp. My eyes were blurry from disuse and I wondered how long I had been unconscious. I tried blinking them ferociously in an attempt to remove the haze from my eyes. As I began to regain focus, I tried to identify my surroundings, and I quickly recognized the ugly blue and red striped wallpaper. I could place the uncomfortable mattress and itchy blankets anywhere. The monotonous beeping to my right and IV line connecting a bag of liquid to my hand confirmed my suspicions.

I was in the hospital.

I tried to think hard about what happened in the woods and how I ended up here, but the last thing my mind processed was lying in excruciating pain after Laurent…

Wait. Laurent! What happened to Laurent! Obviously, my sitting in a hospital bed confirms the fact that he didn't kill me. Or maybe this was my own personal Hell. No. I'm pretty sure Hell would be worse than a smelly hospital. But I clearly remember the pain. It was the same pain I felt when James penetrated my skin with his razor sharp teeth and…

bit me.

But…I'm not a vampire. As much as I try to forget their existence to save myself from thoughts of _him_, I knew how it worked. A vampire bites you. Your blood absorbs their venom. After days of agony, you become a vampire. I looked at my arm where I remembered the pain originating and saw a faint oval mark raised in the skin. It was clearly a bite mark. So how the hell was I still alive? The beeping from the monitor had proved that my heart was still beating.

_What the hell happened out there?_

I heard the vague sounds of shuffling coming from the left and saw Charlie lounging in one of recliner chairs in the corner of the room. My last thought must have been vocalized as he began shifting in his seat, waking up from what seemed to be a restless sleep. He had dark circles under his eyes and was in desperate need of a shave. It made me wonder exactly how long I had been out of it. It also made me wonder what he had been told. I had no idea how I was going to explain anything to him.

I tried to make myself look a little more disheveled than I already felt, in hopes I could play the sympathy card and Charlie would go a little easier on me. He slowly turned to me after a quick yawn, noticing that I was awake.

"Bella? Bella, honey, you're awake?" he asked questioningly, even though he could clearly see that I was awake. I tried to shake these thoughts so I didn't look condescending and could continue to put all of my efforts toward the sympathy façade.

"Yea, Dad. I'm awake," I croaked, making my voice sound much worse than it was.

"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed, as he ran over to give me a hug. This sympathy thing might just work out.

Charlie let me go a few moments later and walked away, turning his back to me and running his fingers through his hair. He then turned around and began to walk closer with the most maddening look on his face.

Uh oh.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you hear me? Do you have ANY idea of what I have gone through in these past few days? ANY IDEA?!" he screamed. Shit. So much for the sympathy card.

I tried to think of an easy explanation—or, lie, rather, so he would stop yelling at me.

Nothing came to mind.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I really am," I started, not knowing where I was going with this. "I don't know—" I started, when Charlie cut me off.

"No, you don't know. How many times have I told you, Bella? You are not to go in those woods alone! You don't know what kinds of things are out there right now. Hell! The whole damn police department doesn't even know what kinds of things are out there right now!" he yelled. I started to worry for him. I've never seen him get so worked up before and his face was turning a weird shade of crimson. "What could have possibly possessed you to go out there alone?" he asked as he turned and began pacing around the room.

Here was the hard part. I didn't want to tell Charlie where I was going or why. He became very disconcerting after my breakdown when _he_ left. I thought he really was going to ship me out to Jacksonville if I didn't start socializing again. If he knew I was going in the woods to try and connect with _him_, I knew his threats would become promises. And I couldn't let that happen.

I figured I should try and tell as much of the truth as possible, without lingering on the most important details. "I was going to a little meadow that I found once out there. It's very calm and beautiful and I thought I could relax. I was trying to get out of the house like you told me to do," I added, trying to make it seem as though I was doing it for him. His eyes snapped to mine immediately and he stopped his pacing. He looked as though he was about to say something along the lines of 'Oh, don't pretend you did this for me,' but he stopped. He walked slowly over to the bedside and looked at me questioningly. I knew I hadn't gone out there for Charlie, and the way he was looking at me made it seem as though he knew exactly who I had gone out there for.

"Bella," he started. The tone of his voice could chip ice and I suddenly feared his next words. "If this has anything to do with the Cu—"

"Don't!" I cried. I couldn't have him say their name. It would crumble my already faltering wall to pieces and I wouldn't be able to take it. I tried to steer the conversation away from any talk of them. "This wasn't about anyone but me. I just wanted to go," I lied.

Charlie could tell he wasn't going to get much more out of me and decided to settle for what I had given him. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes, Bella. But you are not to go in those woods alone ever again, do you hear me?" he stated, slowly, as though he was making it unquestionably certain that this would never happen again.

"Yes," I answered, happy to be coming to an end with this conversation.

"We are just lucky that Jake found you and not some wild animal—" Charlie started, before I interrupted him again.

"Jake?!" I asked, startled. I had almost forgotten about Jake's presence in the woods. I knew I heard him, even if it was low and almost buried through my deafening screams. But how could Jake have gotten away from Laurent? And what was that menacing growl? I needed answers and I needed them now.

"What?" I asked, not realizing Charlie had been speaking to me.

"I said, Jake was the one who found you," Charlie answered.

"Where is he?" I hoped he was here so we could talk.

Charlie exhaled deeply, as though he was confused about something. I suddenly feared for Jacob and hoped he was okay. "He's in Radiology for an X-Ray. He had all the symptoms of a broken arm, but when the doctor examined him, it seemed to be fine. Almost healed, even." Charlie stopped, looking baffled. I wondered how that was even possible. How could Jake's broken arm be healed already? Doctors don't regularly make mistakes like misdiagnosing broken bones. What the fuck was going on around here? I needed some answers and soon.

"Can you see if he's done?" I asked Charlie. "I want to talk to him." Charlie looked at me questioningly again, as if I was trying to hide something. "You know," I quickly added, "to thank him for saving me and all."

"Okay, then," Charlie stated flatly. "Sure. I'll go get him," and he left the room.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Charlie was getting way too smart for his own good. I wondered how long he would be able to stay in the dark about what was really going on in Forks.

I knew I had calmed Charlie's curiosity for now, and he wouldn't be asking anymore questions about what really went on in the woods, but my mind was just brimming with unanswered questions. I couldn't remember anything else from the woods, but I knew Jacob had to have some kind of information for me. After all, he was there. I had heard him. There was no mistaking his voice…or the haunting growl that came after.

My imagination was running while when I heard a light tap on the door. Through the small rectangular window I could see a beefy arm with a large fist balled up and knocking.

"Come in," I yelled, loud enough for him to hear me. I tried to think of what I would say to start this ridiculous conversation, when my breath caught in my chest. The boy who entered the room was not the Jacob Black I knew. I mean, yea, he had gotten a little more muscular over the past year, but nothing compared to this. He had to have gained at least 20 pounds in muscle alone and was probably getting close to Charlie's height, if not taller. His hair was cut short instead of the long flowing hair he's had since I'd met him.

He looked like Rambo.

He could tell I was staring and I tried to look away quickly, not wanting to embarrass myself. I hoped he didn't get the wrong impression, as it was not that I was attracted, but just extremely surprised and a little shocked. I looked back over at him slowly and saw he was looking around the room and anywhere but at me. I wondered if maybe it wasn't such a good idea asking Charlie to get him to see me, considering he apparently hasn't wanted to see me for a while.

Not being able to take anymore, I decided to break the awkward silence.

"Hey Jacob. How's your arm?" I asked pleasantly, trying really hard not to jump to the questions I truly wanted answered. He looked awkwardly at his arm and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's fine I guess. Nothing too bad. The doctors thought it was broken, but it turns out to be just a sprain. No big deal I guess," he said coolly, with a small smirk on his face. I missed his smirks and his sarcasm. I wondered if I would ever see them again after today.

"How are you holding up?" he asked me distractedly, as if he had something else on his mind. "You look pretty banged up."

Confused, I took a second look at myself. I didn't feel too bad, except for the tingling sensation where the bite mark was. Then I noticed the bruising all up and down my arms. "Oh wow," I said as I sat up quickly. "Oww," I cried when I got up and stretched my back, assuming there was probably bruising all around my back as well. "I didn't realize it was that bad."

"Yea. Well at least I found you in one piece," he said sternly, his mouth forming a straight line. He wasn't looking at me, but around the room. It seemed as though he was looking anywhere but at me and he looked as though he was about to punch a hole straight through the wall. I've never seen him look so mad and unfocused before.

"How _did_ you find me?" I asked, hoping now to get some kind of details. He looked up quickly and met my eyes. I could see the hard line forming above his head as he considered my question. It seemed as though he was trying to figure out what to tell me, rather than to tell me the truth. I supposed he could tell what I was thinking by looking at my face, and quickly softened his expression, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, well I just remembered you saying that you wanted to go there one time and figured maybe you decided to go on your own." He stated hurriedly.

"O…k…but Jake, I didn't tell you where it was," I said as I thought back to when we were first talking about the trip. He seemed to be taken back, but quickly followed along right with me.

"Yea, but you showed me the map and your general idea of where it was…I mean Bella, what does it matter. I found you and you're ok and so what else does the rest matter?" he asked bitterly. It seemed as though he was getting upset by my prodding, but that wasn't going to stop me. I wanted answers.

"It matters to me, Jake," I said, raising my voice a little. I was trying to convey that I wasn't letting him leave without telling me more, but he started to get extremely defensive, the anger coming back into his eyes.

"I can't believe this Bella," he started, angrily. "I go find you, save your life and bring you to the hospital and get the third degree! I mean, shit, I don't even get a fucking 'thank you'?" he spat.

"Of course I'm thankful, Jake. I just don't understand what happened!" I yelled, exasperatedly.

He turned and looked at me dead in the eye. "Well what do you think happened, Bella?" he asked, his tone not as hard as it had been. He almost looked scared, as if I might say something he didn't want me to say. He definitely knew more than he was telling me.

"I can't tell you," I sighed. It hurt me to hold back information when I knew I was struggling to get all the facts from him. But I couldn't tell him about Laurent. I made a promise. I made a promise to _him_, and even if _he_ left and broke _his_ promises to me, I couldn't do it to the rest of the family.

"Well neither can I," he said with a huff. "I hope you feel better soon, Bella," he stated curtly and turned and opened the door to leave.

"I heard the growling, Jake," I said impossibly low, but still loud enough for him to hear. He let go of the door and turned to look at me. His face was tortured and I knew he wanted to talk to me, but something was holding him back. "What was it, Jake?" I asked, hoping I could break through his wall and he would finally open up to me after the weeks of snubbing me.

"Where have you been, Jake? Why have you been avoiding me? What has gotten into you—Who has gotten into you? I don't know why you won't talk to me," I sobbed, unable to hold any emotions back. I began to cry, and couldn't stop. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. I was supposed to hold my ground and he was going to give me the answers I searched for. He wasn't supposed to be hard and cold and watch me fall apart into a million pieces. I wiped my cheeks which were now blazing hot, not caring about the light burning of the bruising that was apparently on my face as well. I looked up at Jake who looked pained, but still didn't say anything.

He turned to look back at the door, and then back to me and slowly walked over towards the bedside. He leaned toward me and pulled me into a tight hug. I was surprised to feel how hot his skin was and was going to suggest he go back to a doctor and check for a fever when he lightly whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry."

He backed away from me, looking at the floor instead of my face and turned to walk out. He grabbed the door handle and stopped, looking up through the rectangular window to the outside.

"We can't be friends anymore, Bella. I'm no good for you," he stated coldly. My breathing started to grow faster and I could feel the tears resurfacing. "Just forget what you heard," he said softly as he walked out of the room. I faintly heard him say 'It's done' but wasn't sure if it was directed toward myself or someone else. I didn't care at that moment. He was gone. Instead of gaining answers or direction I lost so much more.

He said goodbye. My only friend that I had left had said goodbye, and my already shattered heart seemed to break a little more.

~~*~~

I was released from the hospital a few days later, prescribed with some pain killers and plenty of bed rest. That was fine with me. I didn't have any desire to go anywhere anyway. Besides, who would I go with?

I tried calling Jacob over the next few days. It just couldn't be over. He had looked so pained when I was talking to him at the hospital. Something was wrong and I refused to let him break off our friendship without telling me why. I deserved better than that.

After a week of staying home and resting, I decided that I was going to La Push to find Jacob. Charlie had gone fishing with Harry Clearwater and would be out all day. I decided to leave him a note just in case he got back before I did. He probably wouldn't be pleased with my going out alone, but I wasn't breaking any of his rules. He only specified that I couldn't go into the woods alone. He didn't say anything about the reservation.

I got in my truck and started it up, calling Jacob once again on my cell phone just to see if somehow he would pick up. When he didn't answer, I tossed it up on the dashboard and pulled out of Charlie's driveway. It didn't take long to get to La Push and I found myself getting strangely nervous about how I was going to approach Jacob. Would he even bother to listen to what I have to say? Would he just walk away? No. I wouldn't let him. I would get my answers somehow.

As I pulled up to his house, my heart fell. None of the cars were in his driveway and it looked as though no one was home. I decided to check anyway and hopped out of my truck, slipping in the mud and falling on my ass. "Shit!" I yelled. So much for making a graceful entrance. I was suddenly relieved that no one was around to witness my clumsiness.

I wiped off my jeans the best I could and walked up the steps to the front door. I knocked a couple times and waited for someone to answer. After about thirty seconds of silence, I tried knocking again.

"No one's home, Bella," I heard a small voice say quietly, frightening me and making me jump. I turned around holding my chest to see a girl about my age standing at the bottom of the steps. She was very pretty. Lean and tall with dark hair to match her dark eyes, but with a very prominent scar on her face that looked as though she was swiped by a dangerous animal. I felt bad for staring and immediately looked back into her eyes. She smiled sweetly and I wondered if she was as nice as she looked…and what she was doing at Jacob's house.

"My name is Emily," she said kindly. "I figured you would come here and I'm glad you did." She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, "Because we need to talk."

* * *

Please review and let me know what you think! :) (And I'll update soon. **I promise!**)


End file.
